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Finance, Revenue and Bonding committee reserves HB 5978 for public hearing after members voice concern about state influence on journalism
Summary
The Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee voted to reserve House Bill 5978, a proposal to create a refundable tax credit for news organizations that cover local communities, for a subject-matter public hearing after members debated possible undue government influence and taxpayer cost.
The Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee voted to reserve House Bill 5978, an act establishing a refundable tax credit for news organizations that cover local communities in the state, for a subject-matter public hearing during its meeting. The motion to reserve the bill passed on a roll-call vote.
Committee members said they supported the goal of sustaining local journalism but expressed concerns that state funding could create real or perceived influence over news organizations. “For journalism to succeed we want to see it be free of influence, direct or indirect, from the state government or any levels of government,” a committee member said during debate, adding that providing taxpayer funding “to the tune of potentially tens of thousands of dollars, could provide an undue influence on the industry.”
The committee’s chair moved the procedural motion to reserve the bill for hearing; the motion was seconded and carried. The roll-call record taken at the meeting shows 23 members voting to reserve HB 5978 for a subject-matter public hearing and 12 voting against the reservation. Individual member votes were recorded by the committee administrator and are included in the formal minutes.
The reservation does not enact the proposal; it only places the bill on the committee’s schedule for a future public hearing, where proponents, opponents and agency officials will have an opportunity to present testimony and answer questions. Committee staff announced that votes would be held open until 5 p.m. that day.
Why it matters: supporters say the credit would encourage reporting on local communities that otherwise lack coverage; opponents cited the separation between government and press and raised concerns about adding to the state’s fiscal burden. The committee did not adopt policy or change the bill at this meeting; it agreed only to schedule a hearing to examine the measure further.
